It may have taken me seven years to get from Silver to Ruby Life Master, but every one of them has been filled with fun at the bridge table. I must admit that online bridge has been particularly helpful in reaching this goal and having this outlet to turn to in the midst of pandemic isolation, with so many activities being curtailed, has been a most welcome relief. My husband, Paul, who is my partner, and started duplicate one year later than I, is on his way to receiving this rank as well. We both agree that being able to chat with other club members during our online club games was an extra benefit for us.

We owe Ann Smallen, the president of our wonderful bridge club, the Mohawk Valley Bridge Association, credit for directing these games, as well as co-director, Mike Mihevc, who took only a brief hiatus from directing our online games to receive a double lung transplant. We are also grateful for the online directors’ review course that prepared those of us, like myself, to return to directing the face-to-face games that are slowly returning.

The social, mind-strengthening, and recreational aspects of bridge have contributed greatly to the lives of both my husband and myself for over sixty years of our marriage, and we hope to continue to enjoy playing it together for many years to come.